Shola Akinyamoju, a member in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy, has been named as the winner of the Wendy Jones Award 2021, in recognition of her brilliant work developing and championing learning opportunities for BAME civil servants.

Named in honour of a long-serving FDA Equality Officer, the award is presented annually to an FDA member who has done the most to forward the Equality and Diversity Agenda in the previous year.

Head of FDA Learn Neil Rider nominated Shola for the Award, and described her as “very clearly a leading light in the union’s work on diversity and a worthy recipient of the Wendy Jones award.”

Neil highlights Shola’s instrumental role in developing the wide-ranging partnership between FDA Learn and the Civil Service Race Forum, and in establishing links with BAME networks across the civil service throughout the UK. Neil went on: “The work Shola has so ably led also formed a major plank in funded projects in Wales and Scotland to support BAME staff and otherwise diverse staff in their career progression.”

Shola was presented with her award during FDA’s virtual Annual Delegate Conference, with FDA President Vicky Johnson paying tribute to her exceptional efforts championing learning opportunities for BAME civil servants. Accepting her award, Shola said: “We all need a place to belong, and I’m so proud to be an FDA member”.